Monotectic Alloys and their Growth Morphologies

Alloys of exact monotectic composition can decompose at the monotectic temperature into different two phase microstructures. The minority phase can be arranged as fibers similar to eutectics, as string of pearls or as irregularly distributed droplets. The directional solidification of three Al-base monotectic alloys was investigated: Al-Pb, Al-In and Al-Bi utilizing aerogel base furnace technology to ensure constant gradient and solidification velocity over the processing length. The solidified microstructures are characterized as a function of temperature gradient ahead of the solidification front and the solidification velocity. The experimental results are presented in form of stability diagrams for the three microstructures showing the regions in which fibers, string of pearls or irregular morphologies exist. The inter fiber spacing is analyzed and presented in from of Jackson and Hunt type relations and the transitions between the microstructures are discussed.